The president and first lady await the arrival of Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, on Sept. 25, 2015

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Tuesday marks the 14th and final state dinner of the Obama administration. The White House dinner honoring Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi will include a musical performance by Gwen Stefani and a meal by chef Mario Batali, who is as famous for his Italian cuisine as his signature orange Crocs.

Other guests in attendance include hedge-fund manager Jim Chanos and, from the music industry, Frank Ocean and Chance Bennett, known professionally as Chance the Rapper.

State dinners honor visiting heads of government or reigning monarchs and is one of the most glamorous events the White House hosts. The first-ever White House state dinner was hosted by President Ulysses S. Grant on Dec. 12, 1874, to honor King David Kalakaua of the Kingdom of Hawai’i, according to the White House Historical Association.

President George W. Bush held 11 state dinners, and President Bill Clinton hosted 28. President George H.W. Bush presided over 24.

On the following pages are highlights of the state dinners Obama hosted ...

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India’s prime minister, Manmohan Singh, and his wife, Gursharan Kaur, were guests at the Obamas’ first state dinner on Nov. 24, 2009.

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Mexican President Felipe Calderon and wife Margarita Zavala attended a state dinner at the White House on May 19, 2010. The dinner included a performance by Beyonce and music duo Rodrigo y Gabriela.

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Chinese President Hu Jintao attended a state dinner on Jan. 19, 2011. Among the more than 200 guests in attendance were Microsoft’s
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Steven Ballmer and J.P. Morgan
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Jamie Dimon, film star Jackie Chan, fashion designer Vera Wang and figure skater Michelle Kwan. Also in attendance was Barbra Streisand, who told reporters she had been invited because she “worked in a Chinese restaurant.”

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her husband, Joachim Sauer, attended a state dinner on June 7, 2011. Hers was the first official visit by a European leader to the White House after Obama became president, and it also was the night Merkel on which was presented with the Medal of Freedom.

British Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife, Samantha Cameron, attended a state dinner on March 14, 2012, which included musical performances by Mumford and Sons and John Legend.

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Francois Hollande was the guest of honor at a state dinner on Feb. 11, 2014. The menu included American Osetra caviar, dry-aged ribeye and Hawaiian chocolate-malted ganache.

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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was the guest of honor at the eighth state dinner of the Obama administration on April 28, 2015. The event included a sake toast and a meal by guest chef Masaharu Morimoto, who had appeared on “Iron Chef” and opened the Morimoto restaurant.

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A dinner on Sept. 25, 2015, honored Chinese President Xi Jinping. This was the second state dinner Obama hosted for China leader. It’s the only country to receive a double honor from him. The guest list included many executives from Silicon Valley, including Facebook
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CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who had been trying to persuade the Chinese government to lift a ban on Facebook (Facebook is still banned in China) and Apple
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CEO Tim Cook.

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“Mr. Prime Minister, after today I think it’s fair to say here in America you may well be the most popular Canadian named Justin,” Obama said in a toast to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on March 10, 2016.

“One of our most popular exports to the United States — and we need you stop teasing him — has been another Justin,” Trudeau responded in a reference to Canada-born pop star Justin Bieber. “Of course, leave it to a Canadian to reach international fame with a song called ‘Sorry.’ ”

The guest list for the dinner honoring Trudeau included Canadian actors Ryan Reynolds, Michael J. Fox and Mike Myers.

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Leaders from Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Finland and Sweden all attended a state dinner on May 13, 2016, during a U.S.-Nordic leaders summit.

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A state dinner honoring Singapore’s prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, on Aug. 2, 2016, marked 50 years of diplomacy between the U.S. and Singapore.

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A state dinner honoring Singapore’s prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, on Aug. 2, 2016, marked 50 years of diplomacy between the U.S. and Singapore.

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